ThirdsPlease

Black Beans & Rice

2010-09-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

So good I can't believe I didn't make them before today. This is our new favorite....

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 - 1.5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken if you're not worried about keeping it veg)
1 tsp ground cumin (or more if you like spicy)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more)
1.5 cups canned black beans, drained

In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion & garlic & saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and saute another couple minutes.

Add the broth, bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add spices and beans. Stir.

Cover and keep over low heat until ready to serve.

Arugula Salad with Proscuitto

2010-06-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

Leftover proscuitto makes a lovely alternative to bacon in your salad. Behold!

Arugula, torn into smaller pieces
Prosciutto, cut into little cubes
Orange bell peppers, chopped
fresh ground back pepper
dried basil leaves
olive oil
red wine vinegar

All you need to do is mix the arugula, prosciutto & bell peppers together with your hands. Then make a vinaigrette by whisking the pepper, basil, oil & vinegar together.

When you're ready to eat, pour the vinaigrette over the salad. Lovely.

This is what was left of my salad by the time I decided to take the picture :)

Braised Chicken Breasts with Lemon Herb Gravy

2010-06-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Braise: to cook (meat, fish or veg) by sauteeing in fat and then simmering slowly in very little liquid.

**not my picture, just an example of what braising looks like**

This is one of those recipes I tend to make a little differently depending on what I have on hand. I'll explain. Here's what you NEED:

chicken breasts
salt & pepper
chicken broth
cornstarch (or flour, just need something to thicken the gravy)
butter (or olive oil)
juice of 1 lemon

Heat your butter (or oil) in a skillet over medium heat (braising means keeping it at a low temp the entire process).

Salt & pepper the chicken on both sides & add to pan once the butter is melted. Sear just a little on each side over medium to med-hi heat.

From here you can add whatever seasonings you want to add flavor to your chicken (and eventually your sauce). I usually add:

herbs de provence (mix of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender)
bay leaf
parsley
onion flakes (or real onion)

But you could add anything you want from garlic to paprika, etc. Mix in the flavors that you like.

Turn down the heat to med-low, cover and let cook. Check the chicken every once in awhile for doneness and add chicken broth if there's no liquid in the bottom. There should be enough liquid just to kind of cover the bottom of the pan. Maybe a little more.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from pan & cover.

Turn up the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, adding more broth and seasonings (salt, pepper, herbs, etc.). Once it's boiling, you can stir in a mixture of about a spoonful of cornstarch mixed with more broth. This should thicken up quickly.

From here, you can just season as you like. I usually add a little more salt and pepper at least.

Add lemon juice & stir.

When it tastes good to you, it's done. Pour it over the chicken and serve with rice.

This is what it kind of looks like. I'll upload my own pic next time I make it!

Chili Con Carne

2010-05-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's Cinco De Mayo. Let's make some chili. Once again, most of the amounts aren't exact. You should add and taste until you find a combination that suits your taste. I made mine mild this time because my 2-year-old cousin would be here. My husband added extra hot sauce to his. But really, you could just add more cumin and more chili powder. Also, as funny as it sounds, chocolate is not an unusual addition to chili. Give it a shot (just a bit)...

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1lb+ of ground beef for chili (it's larger than regular ground beef, but both would work fine), already cooked and strained
cans diced tomatoes
ground cumin
chili powder
parsley
white corn (I used frozen)
2 cans kidney beans, drained
2 tsp dark chocolate
1/2 cup salsa (any kind)
shredded cheese (your preference but I'd recommend a mexican mix that includes mad cheddar)

- heat olive oil over medium high heat, add onions & garlic. Cook over med to med-low heat until onions are translucent.

-Add the rest of the ingredients. Turn heat to med. and simmer without boiling too much for as long as you wish.

- That's really it. Keep tasting. Add more ingredients (corn, kidney beans, black beans) to fill it out, or add more seasoning (worchestershire sauce, chili flakes, tabasco, hot salsa, chilies, etc.) to suit your taste. If you want it thicker, stir in some flour.

- Top with as much cheese (and maybe sour cream and some chives) as you wish.

- Chili is like soup - it's lovely because you can taste as you go and make it your own. Mine was a hit. Not bad for a first try. I'll take a picture next time.

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

**so the picture isn't mine. But it could have been. Just picture it with white corn. Same damn thing.

Beef Barley Soup

2010-04-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just made this up as I went along. Obviously you can follow the basics and totally make it your own.

1 onion, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled & chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
flour
1 can diced tomatoes
2 large red potatoes, skins on, cut into cubes
some kind of beef, preferrably stew meat, but leftover chunks of chain meat is great too
dried parsley
beef stock/beef broth
1/2 cup pearl barley

Heat about 2tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.

Roll onions, carrots & garlic around in some flour, then add to the pot. Stir to coat. Saute about 5 minutes so onions begin to soften.

Add meat. Stir to combine.

Add enough broth so that everything is covered by at least 2 inches of liquid.

Add can of tomatoes (juices and all), and bring to a gentle boil. Add potatoes and barley.

Cover, turn down heat to about medium, maybe medium-low.

Let simmer for about 40 minutes until potatoes and barley are fully cooked.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Other things you could add include:

- 1 tsp worchestershire sauce

- shredded cabbage, mushrooms, celery, etc.

(Hearty soup in the hands of my sick husband...)

Beef Stock

2010-03-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've never made beef stock before. I had some chain meat left over from one of my butchering odysseys and this being the week of St. Patty's Day, we wanted to make a good ole Irish Beef Stew. So I boiled the meat in water. But wait. Stock comes from bones. Crap. I put the meat water in the fridge for the night. Went to the store today to buy marrow bones. Behold:

Looks like a crime scene photo, no? So before I continue, I want to confess, I'm afraid of marrow. They serve it in fancy restaurants and people pay an arm and a leg for a $1.50 marrow bone just so they can scoop out the gelatinous iron-rich fat from the inside and spread it on crackers. It's literally the junk in the middle of the bone:

Do I have to say it? It does not appeal to me. I've been told it tastes like "beef jelly" and I don't really think that helped matters. But I got my marrow bones. And here we go....

Beef marrow bones (you can also include knuckles...ewh...and veal bones, oxtail, etc)
beef chunks or roast (preferably stew meat)
olive oil
onions, peeled & quartered
cut up carrots
handful of celery tops
garlic cloves
parsley
bay leaves
peppercorns

The amounts are up to you. There are exact recipes online if you wish, but who wants to paint by number? Add the things you like in the quantities you like.

Preheat oven to 400. Rub a little olive oil over stew meat pieces, carrots & onions. Place stock bones, stew meat or beef scraps, carrots & onions in a shallow roasting pan.

Roast in oven for about 45 minutes, turning the bones and meat once halfway through roasting, until nicely browned. If the bones begin to char, lower the heat. They should brown, not burn.

When the bones & meat are nicely browned, remove them & the veggies & place them in a large stock pot. Place the roasting pan on the stove top on low heat & deglaze with water or wine. Then, pour the water and browned bits into the pot.

Add the celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaves & peppercorns. Fill the pot with enough cold water so that it comes 1-2 inches over the top of the bones.

Put the heat on high, bring to a low simmer & then reduce the heat to low. Keep at a bare simmer, just barely bubbling. Cover loosely & let simmer for a minimum of 3 hours. 6-8 is better. The instructions I read said,

"Do not stir while stock is simmering - it will mix the fats with the stock and cloud up your stock."

Um. I'd never even thought to stress about my stock being cloudy. Ok, moving on. As the stock cooks, remove fat from the marrow at the top (now how do you do that without it stirring things up a bit?)

When the stock is ready, use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently remove bones and veggies from the pot. Then, it said,

"If there's any marrow left in the bones or floating on top, taste it - it's delicious!"

Fine. But I'm telling you it looked like booger soup with that marrow in there. Did it anyway. Scooped out just a little bit....and tasted it. Newsflash: it was god awful. Who are you people who like this stuff? I took another glob of the stuff and smeared it on a Triscuit and fed it to my husband saying, "here's something that a lot of people think is delicious". He ate it. Looked at me. No reaction. Apparently his cold has made it so he can't taste anything. Sigh. Oops, where was I?

Strain the broth through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Cool to room temperature. Remove any excess fat from the top.

Now you have your own beef broth to store for all kinds of delicious things. Freeze it if you don't have any use for it immediately.

Oh, and give the bones to your dog. They go nuts for them. Just make sure you clean all the goo out first.

Delicious snack, or overpriced wad of bone fat? Let me know what you think.

Indian Spiced Chicken Curry

2010-03-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

So the recipes I found on this dish called it "Sri Lankan Chicken Curry". But as I dug deeper, many people disagreed with that label and swore it was Indian. Call it what you want. This is my version:

1-2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 tbsp ginger, finely grated
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (native to Asia & Southern Europe, the seeds are bitter and used most often in curries)
1 tsp tumeric or yellow curry mix
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground fennel
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
1 stalk lemongrass
3/4 cup zucchini (cut into chunks)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 can coconut milk
a spoonful (or so) of flour

Heat butter.

Fry fenugreek seeds until they start to brown (which happens fast, so watch closely).

Add onion, garlic & ginger & heat until onions are golden & soft.

Add tumeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, paprika, salt & vinegar. Stir well.

Add chicken & stir over medium heat until fully coated with spices.

Add cardamom, cinnamon stick, lemongrass & chopped veggies.

Cover and cook on low for 40-50 minutes.

Add coconut milk (do not cover after adding the coconut milk).

Stir flour with a bit of broth or water and stir it in while the sauce is still boiling. Remove cinnamon & lemongrass.

Taste & add salt, spices or lemon juice to taste.

Serve over jasmine or basmati rice (frankly I can't tell the difference between the two).

Menu: Josselyn's 32nd Birthday Dinner

2010-03-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

Josselyn and I have been best friends since college. This year I wanted to make her a tasting menu the way Wayne and I did for my parents' past 2 anniversaries. We enjoy doing it and it's a great way to make someone feel special. All of the recipes can be found here on the website. Just go up to the search window in the upper left and enter the name of the course/dish. The menu:

Starter

Crudite

Appetizer

Seared Scallops Wrapped in Bacon w/ Wayne's Brown Sugar Glaze

Intermezzo

Grapefruit Granita

Salad

Shaved Fennel & Arugula, Serrano, Tart Cherries, Deconstructed Vinaigrette of Orange Oil & Balsamic Reduction

**Picture to come**

Intermezzo

Sweet Orange Granita

Soup

Tom Kha Gai

Intermezzo

Pear Sorbet, Cardamom, Williams Pear Brandy

Main Course

Carpaccio of Filet Mignon, Lemon Remoulade

Intermezzo

Margarita Granita

Dessert

Fresh Mixed Berry Cobbler, Creme Anglaise

Margarita Granita

2010-03-06T12:48:00.001-08:00

Ok so technically this started out as a lime granita, which you can also do:

2 limes
1 tsp sugar

Juice limes & strain.

Whisk in sugar, seal in an airtight container and freeze.

Go back to it every 1/2 hour or so to stir with a fork so it keeps a nice texture and doesn't completely solidify.

Freeze at least 2-3 hours.

To make things more fun - try making my Margarita Granita. Just add:

a pinch of salt (to taste)
a bit of food coloring (a drop of green + 2 drops of yellow give it that bright margarita color)

Then follow the rest of the directions. I know a lot of people hate the idea of food color. Obviously, you don't need to add that to make it a fun treat. It's your call.

Orange Granita

2010-03-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

I'm doing another tasting menu tonight (this time for my best friend Josselyn's birthday) and that means I'll be coming up with more fun little things to serve in between courses as palate cleansers. So bring on the granitas! Today I'm making the grapefruit granita that I made for my parents anniversary, and I'm also creating an orange granita and a lime granita. The orange one is the simplest of all. It needs nothing. I added sugar as I did with the grapefruit and the lime - bad decision. Obviously orange doesn't have that tartness that lemons and limes do. The sugar was too much. So really, all you have to do is squeeze an orange:

1 navel orange, halved
pinch of salt

Juice the orange & strain through a sieve to get rid of pulp (or leave the pulp in, see if I care).

Whisk in salt & put juice in an airtight container.

Place container in the freezer and go back every hour or so to stir it up with a fork so it doesn't solidify completely but forms more of flaky kind of texture.

After it's been freezing for at least 2-3 hours (I usually freeze it overnight), you can scoop it into a tiny ball and serve in between courses of a nice meal. Or just enjoy it on it's own as a refreshing treat.

Beef Carpaccio w/ Lemon Mustard Remoulade

2010-02-21T15:52:00.001-08:00

Oh the glorious day has come. We bought another tenderloin. And I butchered it myself (which I'm getting really good at) and then resesrved a piece of the tenderloin to make carpaccio (raw meat or fish that is pounded out paper thin and served as an appetizer.) Originating in Venice, Italy, it's raw filet mignon, pounded into flat discs. From there you can serve it with a small salad on top, with oil and vinegar, shaved parmesan, etc. I decided to make mine with a homemade lemon mustard remoulade (remoulade being french for "stuff you mix in with mayonnaise".) It's really expensive at restaurants and it seemed so simple to make that it was only a matter of time before I tried it in my own kitchen. Here are the basics of what I did:

beef tenderloin (suggestedly from the tip end of the roast, but I just used a tenderloin steak I'd already butchered earlier this week.
mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo.)
mustard (preferrably dijon, but I didn't have it so I used yellow and it turned out fine.)
lemon juice
sea salt & freshly ground black peper

Ok, so the best way to get your meat to slice really really thin is to freeze it first for at least two hours. Once it's good and frozen, move it out of the freezer, remove bag or whatever plastic you used to seal it in the freezer.

thinly slice the beef into approximately into 1/8 to 1/4-inch pieces.

Don't worry about being exact, just cut it as thinly as you can.

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on your cutting board, and put the meat on the wrap. Then add a 2nd layer of plastic wrap on top.

Here's the fun part - pound the meat with a mallet until it is paper-thin.
Once all of the meat is sliced and pounded, divide the meat evenly among your plates (however many you're using).

From here you have several options. You can serve with greens tossed with vinaigrette, salt, pepper and/or Parmesan.

I opted to make the remoulade. You just mix the mayo, mustard and lemon juice until you get the right consistency and flavor. Drizzle it over the carpaccio.

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the top and maybe add a few more drops of lemon juice.

These days you'll find carpaccio of all kinds on restaurant menus, not just meat and fish, but also fruits and veggies. Still, beef carpaccio will always reign supreme.

Beka's Unconventional Risotto (using no cheese, and stock from christmas turkey)

2010-01-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

I received arborio (risotto) rice as a Christmas gift from a close friend of my mother's (thanks, Val!) and was dying to make a lovely creamy winter risotto. I have no fancy parmesan cheese. And instead of using chicken stock, I was interested in using the leftover stock I'd made from our Christmas turkey. So this was definitely a creative adventure. The result? The best risotto I've ever made (according to me as well as my husband). It was creamy, comforting and filling just like a risotto should be, but it was lighter without the cheese. And the homemade turkey stock created a lovely post-holidays flavor that just overwhelmed us. It was fantastic! So the next time you roast a turkey, make that stock and save it for a risotto. It's delicious. And hey, who needs to spend $6-8 on fancy cheese when it's so good without it? Leaving out the cheese made it understated enough for a side dish. Not nearly as heavy. Anyway, here's what I did:

about 6 cups turkey stock (leftover from holiday turkey, in my case), but you can always use chicken stock, even from a can, I won't hold it against you
1 stick unsalted butter
1 onion, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
2 cups arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine (room temperature)
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Put the turkey stock in a saucepan and keep at a gentle simmer. Melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden and translucent, but not browned. Add garlic and saute for additional 3-5 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until well coated with butter and heated through.

Pour in the wine, boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. This will remove that raw alcohol taste.

Begin adding the turkey stock, a large ladle at a time, stirring gently until each ladle has been almost absorbed into the rice. The risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don't let the rice dry out - add more broth as necessary. Continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains are still firm. This should take about 20 minutes, depending on the type of rice used (check package instructions).

Taste and season well with salt and pepper and beat in the remaining butter.

Turn off the heat and let risotto rest for a few minutes to finish absorbing the rest of the liquid and to set up. Serve immediately after. I hit it with a generous amount of salt and pepper before serving. If it's a bit sticky, add a little extra hot broth at the end to get the right texture.

One Pot Pork Chops, Gravy, & Veg

2010-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Made this up today based on the contents of our fridge and the fact that it's freezing outside. Started out sauteeing two thick boneless pork chops in the pan and then just kept adding stuff. Turned out lovely:

2 thick boneless pork chops
1 can chicken broth
rosemary
salt
pepper
pearl onions (I used a combination of yellow, white and red)
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
cornstarch

As always, vary this a million different ways based on what you like and what you have in the fridge that needs to get used up....

Sprinkle chops with salt, pepper, and a pinch of rosemary and sautee in pan to brown both sides.

Add 3/4 of the chicken broth and start tossing in chopped garlic, onions and potatoes. Cover for a bit to cook veggies.

Uncover, add butter & milk. Stir remining chicken stock with a bit of cornstarch and add to thicken.

Cut up chops, put them in little crocks and cover with the veggies and broth/gravy/sauce. Sprinkle a little extra salt & rosemary on top.

Quick. Easy. Comforting. And it's not even soup, for once.

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-24T01:01:00.001-08:00

I tried playing Martha Stewart this year and created the MS cookie box (I purchased the boxes at the craft store). I love the way you can make 4 separate sections and decided it would be really fun to fill each with a different kind of cookie. That way, people with allergies, preferences, health conditions, etc. would all be able to hopefully find a cookie they can enjoy. All recipes are already on this site. Below us here you will find (clockwise from upper left corner): oatmeal butterscotch cookies, vanilla and nutmeg merigues, blackberry amaretto thumbprints, and snowballs.

I'm really (REALLY) not a baker. Baking to me is like paint-by-number whereas cooking is like being able to draw whatever you want. Still, at Christmas, cookies seem the inexpensive and appropriate choice. Either way, these cookie recipes are already up on this site and each of them is quite quite simple. I couldn't have it any other way.

I am still amazed that people really read my posts. It makes me feel very blessed, and it also makes me feel like I might actually have something to contribute that isn't already out there. So thank you. And happy holidays to all!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

2009-12-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

Not as good as oatmeal cinnamon chip, but still really really good.

1.5 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (used 2)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats, uncooked
one 11oz package butterscotch chips

Heat oven to 375.

Beat butter, sugar & brown sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs & vanilla; beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well- blended.

Stir in oats & butterscotch chips; mix well.

Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (look out, they cook FAST).

Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Blackberry Thumbprint Cookies

2009-12-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

3/4 cup grated almond paste (freeze it first so it's easier to grate)
2/3 cup sugar
5 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg whilte
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
blackberry preserves (or raspberry or any other kind)

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl; beat with mixer 4 minutes. Add vanilla & egg white, beat well. Add flour and salt, beat at low speed till well blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press thumb into the center of each cookie.

Bake at 325 for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pan & cool on wire racks.

Spoon 1/2 tsp jam into the center of each cookie.

Nutmeg Meringues

2009-12-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to try making meringues and the nutmeg intrigued me. They turned out really lovely and delicious and there are so many ways to vary them. Also, they're really low in fat (true, they're basically little sugar balls, but at least the fat isn't there).

2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (or cinnamon, or ginger, or clove...)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar
cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300. Line a large cookie sheet w/ parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine egg whites, vanilla, nutmeg & cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight up).

Transfer meringue to a pastry bag (or a ziplock with a small corner of the bag cut off and fit it with a pastry tip if you have one (but you don't need it). To make each cookie, pipe meringue into 1 1/2 inch shapes 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet (or use a spoon to drop meringue onto parchment).

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn off oven. Let meringues dry in the oven with the door closed for about 1 hour, until they are dry and crisp. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

2009-12-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

The irresistable mexican wedding cookie has many names and many origins. "Russian Tea Cakes", "Italian Wedding Cookies", "Snowdrops", "Snowballs", etc...

2/3 cup toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts - I used walnuts)
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup powdered sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Toast Nuts: Place nuts in a baking sheet & bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly brown & fragrant. Cool completely.

Once the nuts have cooled, place them, along with 2 tbsp of the flour into food processor & process until they're finely ground (but not a paste). Set aside.

Use hand mixer to cream the butter & sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the remaining flour and salt and beat until combined. Stir in nuts.

Cover & refrigerate the dough for at least an hour or until firm.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 9nches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from oven & place on a wire rack to cool for only about 5 minutes.

Roll cookies in the remaining cup of powdered sugar until coated.

Banana Bread

2009-12-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

Don't throw away those mushy nanners! I was making dinner tonight and noticed that there were 3 bananas left in the fruit bowl that were kind of beyond the peel'n'eat stage. I felt guilty and crappy because money is tight as hell and here we are wasting good produce and vitamins and junk like that. Then I remembered that you could use them to make banana bread. Or at least that's what I've been told. I've never made bread of any kind and generally avoid any kind of baking. But I looked up a recipe anyway and it turned out that we had all the necessary ingredients. So I made that joint.

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Spices (amounts are up to you but a little goes a long way): nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, beat sugar & butter.

Add eggs, bananas & water & beat until blended.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & spices (add all or just the ones you want, it's entirely to your taste). Mix until blended.

Stir in walnuts.

Pour into loaf pan (I used a souffle dish and it worked fine).

Bake for 55-60 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

This was so easy (and I suck at baking). It was also delicious. So next time your bananas are going bad, get crackin.

Tuscan Carbonara

2009-12-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Carbonara is a little tricky to make because you're dealing with egg yolks and you don't want them to solidify, but remain part of the sauce. Might take a little practice - just cook it really gently.

1lb spaghetti
1/2lb pancetta or bacon
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (dude, you can use regular or even dried parmesan but don't expect it to be the same. Geez, stop trying to cut corners.)
salt
ground black pepper
I think people put peas in this, too. So feel free. I hate them.

Cook the spaghetti til al dente (done, but not mushy).

Meanwhile, fry the pancetta & onion over medium heat in a large, straight sided skillet until the pancetta is crispy and the onion has softened. Turn the heat off.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together yolks, cream & grated cheese.

When the spaghetti is ready, drain & toss it into the skillet w/ the pancetta & onion.

Quickly pour the egg mixture over the spaghetti, & toss everything together to combine.

So I stole the image from the BBC. Mine looked like this. Mostly.

Wayne's Fried Chicken

2009-12-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

When we were younger, Wayne worked at Planet Hollywood. Everyone there loved the "Chicken Crunch" fried chicken. The key to it is the sweetness of the Cap'n Crunch (yes, that's exactly what I said). This is Wayne's adaptation. Make a lot. People can not stop eating this stuff. He doesn't measure so I made him estimate the amounts. It's about trial and error, and what you like.

Flour ("about a cup")
Cornflakes ("about a cup" crushed)
Cap'n Crunch ("about a cup" crushed)
1 Egg
1 - 1 1/2 cups Milk (buttermilk is especially good but not necessary)
sugar ("maybe 1/4 cup")
garlic powder
salt & pepper
chicken wings, or breasts cut into strips
1/2 tsp thyme (EASY on the thyme!)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
canola oil (for frying)

For batter, mix egg, milk & sugar in one bowl.

Mix the rest of the dry stuff in another bowl.

Soak meat in wet bowl, dredge in dry. Quickly dip again in wet & dredge in dry.

Fry in canola oil (boiling on high in a large pot or in a fryer) until brown.

Fennel Serrano Salad w/ Pomegranate & Deconstructed Vinaigrette

2009-11-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Made this up and I must say it turned out lovely, no?

Here's what I did:

arugula
shaved fennel
serrano or proscuitto, cut into ribbons
pomegranate seeds
balsamic vinegar reduction (on another page, you basically simmer it for a long time with butter)
orange oil (all i did was put a bunch of orange rinds (cut in small pieces) into a small container of olive oil and let it sit over night. By morning, I had a very lovely orange oil. Ok, moving on.
Compose arugula & fennel in the center of the plate, and arrage it with the proscuitto ribbons.
Sprinkle pomegranate seeds around and make it pretty
Balsamic reduction goes along one side of the plate, and I drizzled the other rim of the plate with the orange oil. This way, you have a vinaigrette that you can create and play around with the flavors. It's fun, pretty, and really not that bad for you.

I am so fancy!!!

40th Anniversary 9 Course Tasting Menu

2009-11-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

It was my parents 40th so I went all out. It's November so I wanted to stick to an autumn theme. I also wanted to give them the experience of going to a very fancy restaurant. So this is what I did. Every single component (including the juices & oils) was made by hand. It took about a week of research. A day of shopping. 3-4 nights of prep work. And finally about 2 full days of cooking. Worth. Every. Second. I included some pics at the bottom. Do this for someone you love and make them feel like the center of the universe!

-APPETIZERS-

cave-agued gruyere puffs, cranberry chutney

-SALAD-

arugula & fennel, serrano ham, pomegranate, balsamic reduction, orange oil

-INTERMEZZO-

pomegranate granita

-SOUP-

cream of cauliflower, candied ginger

-INTERMEZZO-

grapefruit granita

-SEAFOOD-

seared scallops, apple-onion marmalade, bacon, cider sauce

served with pinot grigio

-INTERMEZZO-

pear sorbet, cardamom

-MEAT-

pan-roasted beef tenderloin w/ rosemary & garlic, orange honey roasted baby carrots, celery root & potato puree

served with zinfindel

-DESSERT-

berry cobbler, creme anglaise

served with port

Gruyere Puffs:

Cranberry Chutney:

Salad:

Seafood:

Meat:

Dessert:

Celery Root & Potato Puree

2009-11-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

I made this to go alongside beef tenderloin and carrots. It's a nice change of pace from your regular mashed potatoes. The celery root adds a different dimension.

1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (I used red potatoes)
1 1/2 lbs celery root (celeriac)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped chervil (or just use parsley cuz they're damn near the same thing)

Peel potatoes & celery root. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Steam in a large steamer set over boiling water, covered, until very tender, 30-40 minutes. Force through a food mill into a bowl (I ended up putting it in the food processor), stir in cream, chervil, 3/4 tsp salt and about 1/2 tsp pepper.

*Can be made 2 days ahead & chilled. Reheat gently.

Orange-Roasted Baby Carrots w/ Honey

2009-11-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

1.5 lbs slender baby carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp (or more) orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1.5 tsp honey
fleur de sel (it's fancy sea salt, folks)

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange carrots in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet (used pyrex). Add 2 tbsp olive oil & orange peel; sprinkle with salt & pepper & toss. Pour OJ over; cover tightly with foil & roast until crisp-tender (about 10 minutes). Remove foil. Increase oven to 450. Drizzle honey over the carrots. Roast uncovered until carrots are tender & browned in spots (about 10 minutes more). Transfer carrots & any juices to platter. Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil & sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

2009-11-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

My husband called this "so good it's ridiculous".

2lbs mixed berries
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3tbsp raw sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp chilled, unsalted butter (whatever, I used salted), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely minced crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine the berries, lemon juice, the 1/2 cup of sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon & ground ginger and toss to coat the berries evenly. Pour the berry mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda & crystallized ginger in a food processor & pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter & pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg & cream. Pour the egg & cream into thae processor & pulse just until the topping mixture holds together.

Using a soup spoon, place dollops of the topping evenly over the berries, leaving a 1-inch border uncovered around the edge of the dish. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the top. I also sprinkled a few more tiny pieces of crystallized ginger over the top as well.

Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet (in case it boils over. mine didn't though.). Bake cobbler until the top is golden & the berry filling is bubbling - about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack & let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Using a large spoon or spatula, scoop out the cobbler onto individual plates and seriously consider serving it with creme anglaise. Seriously.

Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin w/ Rosemary & Garlic

2009-11-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

This is a Williams-Sonoma recipe. They included a recipe for a bordelaise sauce to go alongside the meat. We made it. It turned out like crap. So if I were you I'd just make a little pan gravy and call it a day. It's awesome even without the sauce. Melt. In. Your. Mouth.

1 beef tenderloin roast (that you maybe even butchered yourself?) 2.5-3lbs
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. Let the roast stand at room temp. for 30-40 minutes. Set the roast on a clean work surface & lay the rosemary springs lengthwise along the roast. Using kitchen twine, tie the rosemary to the roast at 2-inch intervals (like above).

Rub the roast with garlic & season with salt & pepper. Preheat a large saute pan over med-high heat & warm the vegetable oil. Add the roast & brown, 3-4 min per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven & roast, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 125 degrees (for very rare to rare), 15-20 minutes. Or cook it longer if you have bad taste. Yeah I said it. Transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover loosely w/ aluminum foil & let it rest for 5 minutes. At least.

DE-lish! (dammit I sound like rachel ray)...

Pan-Seared Scallops w/ Apple-Onion Marmalade, Bacon & Cider Sauce

2009-11-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

This is even better than it sounds. Perfect for autumn.

6 slices lean bacon
18 large sea scallops, patted dry
1 cup apple cider
salt & pepper

For the marmalade:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large vidalia onion, cut through the stem into thin wedges
1 large golden delicious or other baking apple, cored & cut into thin wedges
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper

Making the marmalade:

In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions & cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 15 minutes.

Stir in apples & cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until the onions are golden & the apples begin to soften, about 30 minutes more. Add the cider vinegar, salt & pepper and remove from heat. Set aside.

For the scallops:

In another large fry pan over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp, 3-5 minutes. Using tongs or slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but about 1 tbsp (a light coating) of the bacon drippings from the pan.

Sprinkle the scallops lightly with salt & pepper. Return the fry pan to med-hi heat. When the pan is hot, add the scallops a few at a time & cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a plate & keep warm while you cook the remaining scallops. When all the scallops are cooked, add the apple cider to the pan & boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour any juices that have collected on the scallop plate into the fry pan. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, reheat the marmalate over med-low heat until heated through. Serve creatively:

Creme Anglaise

2009-11-07T20:20:00.001-08:00

This is like liquid creme brulee except it's easier to make & has more uses. Pour it over everything and anything sweet. I'm making mine for berry cobbler. But, honestly I could just drink the stuff.

2 cups half & half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks

Have a fine medium-sized strainer & bowl ready near the stove. In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the yolks until well blended (don't let it sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks).

In a small saucepan heat the cream & vanilla bean (if using) just to the boiling point. Remove from heat & whisk a few tbsps of the cream in the yolk mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining cream, whisking constantly.

Pour this mixture into a medium sized saucepan, and, over medium heat, gently heat to just below the boiling point. Steam will begin to appear & the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard & run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

Immediately remove from the heat & pour through the strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean & scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. For maximum flavor, return the pod to the sauce until serving time. If using vanilla extract, add it now.

The creme anglaise can be refrigerated covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days.

**If sauce was overheated & curdled, IT CAN BE SAVED. Pour instantly into a blender & process until smooth before straining. If necessary, add a little extra cream before blending.

Makes 2 cups.

Oh man....

Pomegranate Granita

2009-11-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Not just for pomegranate. This is really how you make a granita with most any juice (sweet or savory). I did grapefruit yesterday. Granitas are a fun way to get your fruit juice, but they're also a classy thing to serve in between courses when you're attempting to host a fancy dinner.

1 cup pomegranate juice (or other juice)

2 tbsp sugar (or more, up to you)

pinch of salt

You want to use fresh juice. So squeeze that grapefruit and mush those pomegranate seeds.

In a bowl, whisk everything together until the sugar & salt have dissolved. Strain (if necessary).

Put mixture into a small, shallow, nonreactive dish (I used gladware. I know, I'm fancy).

Place the dish on a level surface in the freezer & freeze, stirring occasionally with a fork, until coarse, frozen crystals form. Takes about 2-3 hours. Sometimes more. Cover and keep frozen until ready to serve. Scoop granita into small bowls & serve immediately.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup w/ Ginger

2009-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

How do you "core" this thing???

2 leeks, roots trimmed, including 2 inches of green
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 celery rib, with extra leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp finely minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground ginger
6 cups chicken broth
juice of half a lemon
1 head cauliflower, cored & broken into florets. Here we go - anyone know how to core a cauliflower? I asked around and the answer was no. So I just cut the bitch.
1 cup half & half
salt & pepper
crystallized ginger

Cut leeks in half, lengthwise. Wash to remove dirt. Pat dry & thinly slice crosswise.

Heat the oil with the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Wilt the leeks & celery with leaves until softened, 10 minutes; add garlic during the last 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder & ginger and cook over very low heat to permeate the vegetables, 1 minute. Add the broth, lemon juice & cauliflower florets. Raise the heat to high & bring to a boil; reduce the heat & simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree in a food processor until very smooth, adding half & half thru the feed tube. Add extra broth for desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with crystallized ginger, sliced leeks or florets.

Pear & Cardamom Sorbet

2009-11-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Pictured: pear sorbet, dusted with cardamom & served with a bit of the Williams Pear brandy.

You can make the pear & cardamom variety, or just leave the cardamom out and it stands perfectly well on it's own as a pear sorbet.

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp cardamom (optional, it's great without it)
4 pears, peeled, cored & chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp eau de vie de poire (I don't know what it means either. Use pear brandy) :-)

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar & water to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes until the mixture reduces in volume and thickens.

Chill the syrup for at least 30 minutes, until it's cool. Then process the syrup, pears, lemon juice & pear brandy in a blender/processor until smooth.

Then just follow the directions on your ice cream maker & pop it in the freezer.

Cranberry Chutney

2009-11-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

This stuff will make your kitchen smell like Christmas! It's knockout delicious and you can make it a few days ahead.

1lb fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 cup water
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a pan or dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until juice is released from cranberries, about 15 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until thickened; stirring occasionally.

That's it! Chill before serving. Also, it will keep in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 2 weeks). I cut the recipe in half and it came out just fine as well.

Here it is!

Gruyere Cheese Puffs

2009-11-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

These are a little tricky, but really good when you get them right. Have a look:

1 cup water
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tbsps
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2.5oz Gruyere cheese, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 2/3 cup). I used cave-aged.
1/2 tsp ground pepper

They're simple to mix up. You preheat your oven to 400 (according to the directions) and line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. In a medium saucepan, combine the water with the butter & salt and bring to a boil over moderate heat.

Reduce to low, add the flour all at once & beat with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth & pulls away from the sides of the pan. Beat for 1 minute longer to dry out the batter.

Remove from heat & let the batter cool for 5 minutes. Then, beat in 1 egg at a time, beating well between additions. Stir in cheese & pepper. Drop tbsps of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets & bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed & golden. This is where I had trouble. The original directions actually said 30 minutes but that was so way off. I gave them 20 minutes and got these:

Nice, right? We tasted them, and the bottoms tasted burnt. Now, does this look like a burnt puff to you:

Well, maybe a little. But it tasted BLACKENED. Not just a little brown. Some were ok though. And the ones that were, tasted great. As for the burnt ones, just remove the bottoms and they're delicious. But not too fancy for a party. Some that came out only moments earlier were ok:

Thats the bottom - same color as the top, right? Still tasted a little overdone. Crap. So I took the last batch out way early and got these:

Are you lauging yet? These little guys didn't puff up all the way and tasted more doughy, but they were DELICIOUS!!! Anyway, try making them. Maybe lower the heat a bit. And watch them really carefully. They keep well, too. The baked puffs can be frozen for up to 1 month (hello Christmas!). Just thaw them and warm them up in the oven a bit before serving.

I'm serving mine with cranberry chutney (recipe to follow)...

Coulis, Compote or Chutney?

2009-11-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get a better understanding of all the little french words that usually just mean fruit and sugar. Here's a primer:

Coulis: French for "strained liquid" - that's just what it is! A coulis can be sweet or savory. The base is either a fruit or a (cooked) vegetable. Puree, season (like with lemon or salt) and then strain to remove seeds and such. A very common one is raspberry coulis - often served with something chocolatey. Behold:

Compote: Cooked fruit dessert with rich syrup. Can be warm or chilled. Here's one with figs and cinnamon:

Chutney: This one seems a lot like a compote to me. It's fruit & sugar that are combined, sometimes with vinegar, and simmered slowly. Usually sweet & sour, but can be spiced. The most common is probably Mango:

Gastrique: Thick, syrupy reduction (we've heard this before) of vinegar or wine, sugar and usually fruit. Often served over meat or seafood to add a fruit flavor to the dish. It's thinner (like the coulis):

Aioli: When seasonings or flavors are mixed with mayonaise. Lookie:

Remoulade: Similar to the aioli, it's mayo-based. But a remoulade is more similar to tartar sauce and includes mixed herbs, veggies, etc.

Granita: semi-frozen dessert of sugar, water and some kind of fresh fruit or vegetable juice. Originally from Sicily, it's a little more coarse and crystalline than a sorbet, maybe more like italian ice. For this one you don't cook anything. Just stir juice with sugar and maybe lemon or a pinch of salt, and then pop it in the freezer, scraping it around with a fork every couple of hours to break it up. Now that's simple! Here's a watermelon granita:

I'm sure there are more. I'll add them as I think of them!

Chicken w/ Lemon and Olives

2009-11-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano
1+ tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 whole roasting chicken (mine was 4.5lbs)
1 lemon, quartered
1lb fingerling potatoes (or other)
1 jar pitted kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 400. Combine thyme, oregano, oil, garlic & salt plus a handful of chopped olives (I used 6) in a small bowl.

Gently loosen skin from the breast of the chicken. Spread herbs evenly under the skin. Place lemon quarters inside the cavity. PLace chicken, breast side up, in dutch oven. Add potatoes & more olives (I used about 12 here) all around the chicken.

Roast chicken for 17-22 minutes per pound. It's done when the thigh registers 180. Took me about an hour and 2o minutes.

Sweet Mustard & Clove Mustard

2009-11-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

I used this to pour over ham steak, but it stands well on it's own and could be used for many things:

3oz mustard seeds, any variety
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp black pepper

For Clove Mustard add

1 tsp cloves

Put dry ingredients in blender, add just enough wine to make a paste. Keep in the fridge till you're ready to use it. I found mine to be a little thin so I added a bit of flour and heated it since I was using it on a hot dish.

Grapefruit Granita

2009-11-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

Making this for my parent's 40th anniversary dinner. I'll be posting the rest of the recipes, as well as the full menu later. Grapefruit granita, lemon sorbet, any kind of light citrusy frozen treat can be served in between courses to cleanse the palate. And it's also just kind of fun.

2 ruby red grapefruits
2 tbsp sugar
pinch salt

Juice the grapefruits to get about 1 cup of liquid. In a bowl, whisk together the grapefruit juice, sugar & salt until dissolved. Pour mixture through a strainer into a small, shallow dish.

Place the dish on a level surface in the freezer & freeze, stirring occasionally with a fork until coarse, frozen crystals form. About 2-3 hours.

Cover & keep frozen until ready to serve.

Scoop the granita into small bowls and serve immediately. Garnish with a paper-thin slice of lemon.

Ginger Scones

2009-11-03T00:37:00.000-08:00

I'm really not good at baking. Really. Not. Good. But this isn't so bad. And, it's perfect with lemon curd (which I love)!

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

1/4 cup crystallized ginger

1 egg

1/2 cup cream or half-and-half

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Cut in butter with a mixer until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Be careful not to let the butter get too warm or it will make a paste and ruin your scones. Chop ginger finely & stir in.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg & cream/milk. Add to dry mix & stir just enough to moisten. Gather the dough & knead it agains the side of the bowl, collecting loose pieces into the dough. Continue just until the dough comes together into a ball & cleans sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly floured board & pat or roll into a circle about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place wedges on a parchment covered baking sheet at least 1-inch apart.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes until the tops are just golden.

Seriously, serve it with the lemon curd.

What's that? My scone isn't triagular like it's supposed to be? You try it.

Lemon Curd

2009-11-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

Lemon curd isn't only for fancy tea parties. It's delish all by itself or with scones (especially my ginger scones!)

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 lemons, juice & zest
1 stick butter, cut into pats & chilled

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1/2 inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks & sugar in a medium size bowl (preferrably metal) and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.

Measure lemon juice out & add to egg mixture along with the zest. Whisk till smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low & place bowl on top of saucepan (bowl should be large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, about 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow & coats the back of a spoon.

Remove to a clean container & cover by laying plastic wrap directly to the surface of the curd.

Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Panettone French Toast

2009-11-03T00:13:00.000-08:00

When I tried this recipe I didn't really think it would be that good. In fact, I just made it because I was bored one night, but it turns out - this is good stuff. Especially during the holidays.

1 panettone

6 eggs

2 cups milk (I used whole)

grated zest of 1 orange (I used 2 clementines)

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 tbsp Cointreau or other liqueur (I actually used D'Saronno)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)

4-6 tsp butter, unsalted

4-6 tsp canola oil

confectioner's sugar (for dusting)

Cut the panettone into 1-inch vertical slices, then cut in half. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until just blended, then whisk in the milk, orange zest, juice, liqueur, extract, sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg. Pour into a large shallow dish & place the bread slices in the mixture. Soak for 5 minutes per side (take them out before they get too mushy).

In each of 2 large saute pans over medium heat, melt 1 tsp of butter with 1 tsp of the oil. When the butter foams, add some of the soaked bread slices, taking care not to crowd them. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes per side. Turn the slices over again & cook them for a few minutes more per side until browned to your taste. Turn off the heat.

Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the french toast to serving plates, place them in the oven & turn the oven to 200 degrees. Repeat to cook the remaining slices.

Dust the french toast with confectioner's sugar & serve immediately.

**can be served with maple syrup, yogurt, lemon wedges, or alone**

Panettone is a holiday fruit cake/bread common in many european and south american countries.

Ginger Lemongrass Tea

2009-11-03T00:07:00.000-08:00

I know you can just buy tea. We all know you can just buy tea. But you're not getting all the goodness that you would get if you added some fresh herbs, spices and seasonings. I make this when I feel like I'm coming down with something.

1 quart water
1/4 cup freshly grated gingerroot (more if you're daring)
1 stalk lemongrass, cut lengthwise
2 bags of tea (any kind)
honey or raw sugar
lemon

Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat & add ginger & lemongrass. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat & add 2 bags of tea (or 2 tsp loose tea). Taste. If it's too weak, continue steeping. If it's too strong, add more water. I love recipes you can't screw up! Strain & sweeten with honey. Add lemon to taste.

Gia-Ninh's Clear Cooked Napa w/ Sesame Oil

2009-11-02T23:44:00.001-08:00

As I've said before, Gia-Ninh knows his stuff. Here's a delicious side to go with any asian-style meal you're working on:

1 medium sized head of napa cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp corn oil
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil

Heat wok until SCREAMING HOT - Gia-Ninh says, "when you can flick water at it and it skittles across the surface of the pan, you're ready". Add the corn oil & then 1 tbsp of the salt & swirl to coat.

Add napa to the pan & toss to coat the cabbage with the oil (you're not going to get everything coated right away so just toss it a few times). As the napa cooks down, add sugar to taste. Stir fry on super high heat, stirring vigorously as it cooks down. Once close to doneness, taste & adjust for salt, add sesame oil, take off the heat (always take off heat after sesame oil is added because it has such a low smoke point, to avoid scorching the oil).

Eat it while it's hot.

Scallops w/ Parsley Vinaigrette

2009-11-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

This was included in a recipe for scallops, but could be used damn near anywhere. :)

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley (dried is *not* the same)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 lb of scallops, halved
salt & pepper

Put 4 tbsp of the olive oil into a frying pan & heat. Add the parsley, garlilng & lemon zest and cook for a minute or two. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Add the lemon juice & balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper (to taste) & whisk to combine.

Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan. Season the scallops with salt & add to the pan. Fry for about 45 seconds on one side, then about 30 seconds on the other.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the scallops & serve hot.

A Vinaigrette is an emulsion of vinegar (or sometimes citrus juice)and oil, often flavored with herbs, spices and other ingredients. Can be used as a salad dressing, sauce or marinade.

Brined Roast Turkey

2009-11-02T23:19:00.000-08:00

A-la Alton Brown:

1 14-16lb frozen young turkey

For the Brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp allspice berries
1 1/2 tsp chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the Aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 leaves sage
canola oil

I. 2-3 Days Before Roasting:

Begin thawing turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice & candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally, to dissolve solids & bring to a boil. Then remove from heat, cool to room temperature & refridgerate.

II. Early on the Day or the Night Before:

Combine the brine, water & ice in a 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed, cover & refrigerate or set in a cool area for 8-16 hours, turning the bird once halfway through the brining.

Preheat the oven to 500. Remove the bird from brine & rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan & pat dry with paper towels. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick & 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish & microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary & sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird & coat the skin liberally with canola oil. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast & reduce the oven temperature to 350.

Set the thermometer alarm to 151 degrees. A 14-16lb bird should require a total of 2-2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Ginger Lavender Shortbread

2009-11-02T23:05:00.000-08:00

This is super fancy and fun but be careful not to make it too dry. Mine was too dry. I'll come back and make changes to the recipe once I figure out what I did. I have a feeling it was the flour. See below:

2 1/2 cups flour (this was way too much, use less and I think they will turn out fine)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 tsp dried lavender blossoms
1 cup butter

Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper & set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, crystallized ginger, lavender & ground ginger.

Using a food processor or electric mixer, cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs & starts to cling. Form dough into a ball; knead until smooth - dough will be very crumbly at first but will come together as you work it with your hands. Roll or pat dough onto prepared cookie sheet into 11"x6" rectangle...or as close as you can get. Mine was quite the rounded rectangle.

With a large knife, carefully halve rectangle lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 16 slices. Do not separate slices. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until edges are light brown & the center is set. Re-cut the rectangle & separate the slices while warm.

Sprinkle with additional sugar. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.

Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Place cookies in layers, separated by wax paper in an airtight container.

Creamy Lemon Rice

2009-11-02T23:00:00.001-08:00

Oh so good. Goes great with herbed chicken. I adapted this one for a rice cooker.

Basmati or Jasmine rice
1 can of chicken broth
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp butter
sea salt
cream
lemon juice

Prepare rice in rice cooker as usual, but use chicken broth instead of water. Add other ingredients to taste.

Mideast Chicken

2009-11-02T22:58:00.001-08:00

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
1 tbsp garlic powder
pinch of saffron
2 chicken breasts
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 can of green olives
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 onion, diced

Use mixer to combine oil, lemon juice, garlic & saffron. Rub mixture on chicken & let marinade. Place remaining ingredients in a pan with the chicken. Simmer covered 20-30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Basic Crostini

2009-11-02T22:53:00.000-08:00

This is a great garnish, goes good in creamy soups and on its own.

italian rustic bread
olive oil
sea salt

Heat broiler. Slice an italian rustic bread (I used french) on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick, then cut slices in half. Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with olive oil & season with sea salt. Broil until lightly browned around the edges - this happens fast so check it every 30 seconds!

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Martha Stewart's Elaborate-As-Hell Potroast w/ Winter Vegetables & Pan Gravy

2009-11-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

From my parents 39th anniversary menu. I don't think it's the best pot roast recipe out there, but it was good and fun to make. Man, that Martha is detailed...

For Browning Meat:

3-4lbs chuck roast, tied if necessary
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
sunflower or other neutral tasting oil

For Aromatics:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled & thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium carrot, peeled & coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, peeled & thinly sliced
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
3 sprigs fresh thyme

For Braising Meat:

1 tbsp all-purpose flour (plus more, if needed)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (plus more, if needed)
1 1/4 cups water

For Garnish Vegetables:

3/4lb turnips (about 3), peeled & cut into 1 1/2 inch wedges
3/4lb new potatoes (about 12 small)
3/4lb carrots (4-5 medium), peeled & cut into 3-inch lengths

I. Brown the Meat

Pat meat dry with paper towels, then season on all sides with salt & pepper. Heat a dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Add enough oil to barely coat the bottom of the pot & heat until simmering.

Sear the meat until golden brown, turning to cook on all sides evenly, about 8 minutes. Martha says, "don't be tempted to turn the meat too soon, or it will tear; instead, wait until it easily releases from the pot". Um, ok. If there are lots of blackened bits on the bottom of the pot, wipe it clean with a paper towel, or deglaze with a little water & then discard.

II. Cook Aromatics

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil & all of the aromatics and cook, stirring fairly often, until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Martha says, "you may need to increase the heat after a minute or two if the onion isn't softening, but only slightly. If the garlic or onion begins to burn, add a little water & stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan." I told you she's elaborate.

III. Braise Meat

Sprinkle the flour into the pot & stir to coat everything evenly; cook the flour just long enough to remove the starchy taste without taking on any color, about 30 seconds.

Add vinegar & water and bring to a boil. Deglaze pot, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Put the roast in the pot, the water should come only about 1 inch up the sides of the meat. Reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering, not boiling, and cover the pot tightly with the lid.

While the meat is braising, turn it every 30 minutes; the meat should be almost tender. Martha says, "a sharp knife inserted into the center should meet little resistance after 2 1/2 t0 3 hours." Thanks.

Remove the meat from the pot. Strain braising liquid through a sieve (fine), pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.

IV. Finish Braising w/ Garnish Vegetables

Return the roast & the strained liquid to the pot. Nestle the garnish vegetables around the roast, submerging them a bit in the liquid. The liquid should almost reach the top of the vegetables.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. The meat should be very tender by now and give no resistance (again, thanks Martha) when pierced with a knife. The meat will be firm enough to slice; if you want it to be falling-apart tender, cook 30 minutes more.

V. Finish Sauce

Transfer the meat & vegetables to a serving platter, leaving the sauce behind (there should be about 1 cup). Cover & keep warm near the stove. If the sauce is too thin, heat until reduced. Martha shares - "be mindful of the saltiness, since the more the sauce is reduced, the saltier it will taste". You could also thicken it with a bit more flour, whisking until smooth. Add a small amount of vinegar if necessary, to balance the flavors.

Let the roast stand for about 20 minutes, then slice to desired thickness. Spoon some sauce over pot roast & vegetables to moisten. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

*whew!*

Autumn Apple Cake w/ Hot Caramel Sauce

2009-11-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

From my parents 39th anniversary menu:

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 apples, peeled & grated
1/4 cup butter

For the caramel sauce:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
salt

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch square cake pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease pan & set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar. Beat in egg. Stir in flour, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda & salt. Fold in apples.

Pour into prepared pan & bake for 30-40 minutes or until cake is done & toothpick comes out clean. Cut in squares when cool & serve with hot caramel sauce.

To make caramel sauce, melt butter in saucepan over low heat & then add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue stirring for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove sauce from heat & serve over apple cake squares.

**image stolen from wordpress.com**

Dumplings (for soup)

2009-11-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

I use this for chicken soup but it could go in most anything you want:

2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
1 tsp butter
1/2 cup flour (maybe more)

Mix ingredients together, adding enough flour to make it the consistency of thick ketchup.

Dip a spoon into the soup that is softly boiling, then scoop a small amount of dumpling mix & dunk it in the soup.

The dumpling should immediately fall off the spoon & plump up.

Repeat until mix is gone.

My Parents' 39th Anniversary Menu

2009-11-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

Last year was my parents 39th anniversary and I decided to cook them dinner. I did 4 courses - soup, seafood, meat, dessert. Here it is below. Next week is their big 40th and I've decided to do an elaborate 8-course tasting menu. I don't have a clue if I can pull it off but I'll be posting the menu as well as all of the recipes on here.

First Course: Creamed Garlic Soup w/ crostini & fresh squeezed lemon juice

Second Course: Seared Bay Scallops, fennel puree, fleur de sel

Third Course: Country Pot Roast w/ turnips, carrots, potatoes & pan gravy

Fourth Course: Autumn Apple Spice Cake w/ caramel sauce, champagne

It was a massive hit, especially for my first try at a full menu made from scratch. It can only go up from here!

You can help your own hamburger

2009-11-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been cooking on the cheap. I was thinking you might be too. So I've gone back and marked meals that were really affordable to make.

Got ground beef? got pasta? You don't need sauce. You don't need Hamburger Helper. We're in a recession. Do it this way and spend about $1.25 a serving.

1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 lb ground beef, browned & drained
1 can stewed tomatoes, diced
1 cup small pasta (I used mini bowties)
lemon pepper
dried basil
dried oregano
dried parsley or chervil

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil until translucent.

Brown ground beef & drain.

Add ground beef, tomatoes and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Prepare pasta separately, strain, then stir in.

Add herbs to taste.

Zucchini Soup w/ Pasta

2009-10-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

Guys, I'm serious about soup. This is my 20th soup recipe on this blog. What can I say? I love comfort food. This one came out tasting a little bit like Campbell's, which is weird. But at least you're getting your veggies.

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
1 qt. chicken stock
2 large zucchini
1/2 cup tiny pasta
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp dried chervil (parsley will do, too)
salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, and saute till translucent. Stir in garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

Add the stock to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Meanwhile, grate the zucchini and stir into the boiling stock with the pasta. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is tender.

Add chervil, lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Variations - I read that you can also use cucumber but I can't really picture it. Also, consider stirring in a little sour cream.

Chicken w/ Garam Masala

2009-10-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Modified Indian recipe. I go heavy on the garam masala (it's mild) and extra light on the cumin (because it can easily overwhelm a dish. This cooks up in 5-10 minutes.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 two-inch piece fresh gingerroot, grated
pinch (PINCH!) cumin
1 tbsp garam masala (or more)
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp hot water
salt & pepper

Rinse chicken, pat dry & slice thinly.

Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove onions from pan & set aside.

Add chicken to pan & cook over high heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until browned all over.

Stir in garling, gingerroot, cumin, garam masala as well as salt & pepper to taste.

Cook 1 minute, then stir in cooked onions, lemon juice & water.

Cover & cook over low heat about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Serve hot over jasmine rice.

*Garam Masala is a blend of common indian spices. It differs regionally but the basic combination usually includes: peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, anise & coriander.

(picture from Flickr)

Potato & Fennel Soup w/ Garlic

2009-10-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Made this up today based on what was in the fridge. I'm stoked because it comes out to about $1 a serving and money is tight these days. You could vary it any way you want to incorporate leftover produce (spinach, carrots, etc.). Here's what I did:

1 small onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bulb fennel, chopped
1 tbsp marjoram
4 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed

Heat oil and 2 tbsp of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot.

Add onion and celery and saute until onion is translucent.

Add garlic & saute about 2 minutes longer.

Add fennel & leek and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Add potatoes along with marjoram and enough water to cover potatoes (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked (took about 20-25 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Once potatoes are cooked, turn heat off, mash potatoes up a bit with a potato masher and stir in milk & remaining butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

2009-10-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

This is a Hershey's recipe, but it's so good I wanted to share:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2.5 cups quick-cooking oats
1 2/3 cups(10oz package) Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (yes they really do have these)

Heat oven to 350.

Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats and cinnamon chips (batter will be stiff).

Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Fancy Gravy

2009-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

This takes a little work but it's well worth it for special occasions. What's more, there are ways to change it up and make it your own. Read on and I will show you....

Olive oil
1 Boneless leg of lamb (mine was 5lbs), butterflied
Kitchen twine
Now, when they debone the leg, it becomes less of a roast and can sometimes even be rolled out flat. You could roll it out flat and cook it that way if you want. Or you can do what I did and roll it out, fill it with some kind of goodness and then tie it back up. This is what I did. I used: 1 small jar of Classico pesto. You could fill it with anything your heart desires (fresh herbs & garlic, stuffing, veggie puree, etc.)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 cup water
2 tbsp demi glace (we'll come back to that)
1 tbsp butter

Ready? Now some of this isn't as easy as it sounds so I'll tell you where I had trouble. The first thing you're going to do is preheat your oven to 350 (not too bad so far).

Next, prepare any filling you want to go inside the lamb (or in my case just open the jar of pesto and be done with it).

Grab your leg and unroll it. See all those creases? Fill the center and creases, spoonful by spoonful, with the pesto (or whatever you decide to use).

Fun part - I don't know how you would do this without help so if you have a friend or roommate around, recruit them. It will make things easier. Now that the lamb is ready for the oven, we have to put it back together. This may mean rolling it up or just closing it (depending on how it was butchered). Seriously, you'll figure it out. It has all these loose parts that we want to keep together so we're going to truss our lamb by tying it back together. Take the kitchen twine and wrap it around the far end of the lamb, and tie it tightly in place. Repeat this every 2 inches or so until the entire bad boy is done. Here is a lovely example of a trussed leg of lamb:

In a roasting pan over med-hi heat, warm enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan (well that part was easy).

Add the lamb and brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. This is simple enough, I know. But we're talking about a pan that has hot oil popping in the bottom of it and you're trying to flip a 5lb roast. So be careful, stand back, and be sure to use oven mitts.

Transfer the pan to the oven and roast covered for 45 minutes, and then uncovered for 30. Basically you're done when your thermometer reads 130 from the very center of the lamb. These temps are for medium-rare. Add more if you like your meat a little more on the done side.

Once you've taken the pan out of the oven, you still need to let it rest. So transfer the lamb to a carving board or something, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

Ok. Fancy gravy time. Before we get started, here's the deal. Demi Glace is awesome, but expensive. I use it for special occasions. It's just a super condensed rich sauce made from meat, wine, veggies, spices and good things like that. You could make your own demi glace. I'm going to try it soon. But in the meantime, you can pick it up at most gourmet stores. I use More Than Gourmet brand:

Demi Glace Gravy:

Skim the fat from the pan and set over medium heat. Add the demi-glace and water and cook, stirring to scrape up the brown bits from the pan bottom. (My mom's trick for getting the fat off the top: put a soda cracker gently on top of the gravy. It soaks up the fat but not the gravy itself.)

Strain the sauce into a saucepan, set over medium heat and let it cook for a minute or so. Whisk in butter and season with salt & pepper.

Snip the strings and thinly slice the lamb across the grain.

I served mine with mashed potatoes:

PG County Pork Chops

2009-10-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

I call it PG because it includes ketchup and canned soup in the ingredients and it's only 4 steps. All thats missing is cornflakes and it would be full on ghetto. Still, it's quick, cheap and really really good.

4 pork chops
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons ketchup
5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Brown chops on medium-high heat with garlic, salt & pepper.

Put chops into roasting pan.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chops.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

**Serve with purple drink**

Roast Chicken with Lemon & Olives

2009-07-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is the closest I could find to a moroccan recipe I've had at restaurants in DC. Of course, I've tweaked it a little. ;-)

1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano
1+ tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 roasting chicken (mine was 4.5lbs)
1 lemon, quartered
1 lb fingerling potatoes (or red)
1 jar pitted kalamata olives (no, we're not using the whole jar, but you will end up eating most of them while cooking...if you're an olive person like me).

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine thyme, oregano, oil, garlic & salt plus a handful of chopped olives (I used about 6) in a small bowl.

Gently loosen the skin from the breast of the chicken.

Spread herb & olive mixture evenly under the skin.

Place lemon quarters inside cavity.

Place chicken, breast side up, in dutch oven.

Add potatoes & more olives (I used about 12 olives) around the chicken).

Roast chicken for about 17-22 minutes per pound. You know it's done when the thigh registers 180 degrees. Should take a little over an hour, depending on the size of your chicken.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Fennel Puree

2009-06-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Martha Stewart. If you have the time, the fennel really makes this scallop dish sing.

6 large sea scallops
coarse salt
sunflower or other neutral oil
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed & chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 coups whole milk (or, enough to just cover the fennel)
2 tbsp butter
ground black pepper

For the scallops: follow the recipe for "Perfectly Seared Scallops" in my seafood section.

For the puree:

In a small pot, combine chopped fennel & milk & bring to just under a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to a simmer.
Cover & cook until fennel is completely tender (it should not offer any resistance when pierced waith the tip of a knife) but not falling apart, 20-25 minutes.
Drain in a sieve, reserving liquid.
Cimbine fennel and 1/4 cup reserved liquid ina blender & blend on high speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add more liquid a teaspoon at a time as necessary to keep the blending running smoothly.
Transfer to a fine sieve set over a large bowl or measuring cup and press with a rubber spatula to extract as much puree as possible. Make sure you do this step well or you will have runny puree and it doesn't work as well.
Discard remaining solids & rinse sieve thoroughly. Return puree to the sieve and set ovaer a bowl to drain for 1.5 hours longer. Yes, 1.5 hours longer. Again, I skipped this step and paid for it.
Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until warmed through. Stir in butter.
Spoon 1 tbsp puree onto each plate and top with a scallop slice. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve.

Garlic Pot Roast

2009-06-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

This really is just a standard pot roast recipe. I stole the basics of it from Martha and made some changes to make it my own. I suggest you do the same. You could add mushrooms, replace the potatoes with celery, use water instead of broth, add more wine....

1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3lbs)
10 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 tsp coarse salt 1/2
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil
1.5 c chopped carrots
1.5 c baby carrots
1.5 c chopped red potatoes (skins on)
1 can of beef broth
2 bay leaves

1. Using the top of a sharp paring knife, make 20 small evenly space slits about 1.5 inches deep all over the roast. Insert garlic pieces into the slits as far as it will go.

2. In a dutch oven, heat oil over high heat. Carefully add meat & sear on both sides until well browned (4-6 minutes per side).

3. Add salt, pepper, onion, carrots, potatoes and bay leaves as well as 2/3 cup (or more) of the beef broth.

4. Cover and reduce heat to med-low & cook for 3 - 3.5 hours, turning 2-3 times until very tender. Add more broth or a little red wine as needed so that there is always a little liquid in the bottom.

5. Transfer meat to a cutting board & let stand 10 min before serving with vegetables and drippings.

Slammin' Spaghetti Sauce

2009-05-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize a little lemon zest makes such a difference but it really adds something!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
two 14oz cans of tomatoes, w/ juices
pinch or two of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or basil, I've done both) + more for garnish
coarse salt
freshly grated black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion & cook until soft & light golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the garlic & cook another minute.

Add the tomatoes & juices & bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add the red pepper flakes & lemon peel, then lower the heat & simmer for about 20 minutes, taking time to smash the tomato pieces so the sauce is more pulpy than chunky.

Stir in the chopped parsley.

Check for flavor and salt & pepper to taste.

Sauce will keep one week in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Just heat it when you want it and pour it over pasta.

*you can also add about 1/2 lb of ground beef to make a meat sauce

Standing Rib Roast

2009-05-01T12:50:00.001-07:00

Special occasions call for rib roast. This has been the gospel according to martha. The end.

1 tbsp lemon pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1.5 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
standing beef rib roast (recipe rub is for a 6-pounder)
2 cups beef boullion

Combine lemon pepper, paprika, garlic salt, rosemary & cayenne pepper; rub over roast.

Place roast with fat side (don't we all have a fat side?) up in a large roasting pan.

Insert a meat thermometer and bake uncovered at 325 until roast reaches 130 for medium-rare. (Actually, the temp. for medium rare is 140 but it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven...)

Allow 23-25 minutes per pound for rare, 27-30min per pound for medium (160) and if anyone wants it darker than that, they can put theirs in the microwave because I'm not letting you ruin an entire standing rib roast because one person likes their meat overcooked. We good? Ok.

Let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Don't forget the best part - the Au Jus:

Pour the meat juices from the roasting pan into a glass measuring cup and skim off the fat.
Add boiling bouillon to pan & stir to scrape the bottom of the pan and get everything all mixed in.
Stir in the mean drippings and serve on the side.

Chinese Egg Drop Soup

2009-04-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is great for when you're fighing off brochitis like I am. Soup is always great for when you're sick but this also has two extra great things - ginger & garlic. Seriously good medicine.

5 cups chicken stock
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp medium dry sherry
one 2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup dried fine egg noodles
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1-2 scallions, thinly sliced
1.5 tsp sesame oil

Bring stock, soy sauce, sherry, ginger & garlic to a boil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan.

Remove ginger & garlic with a slotted spoon & discard. Or, finely chop the garlic and leave it in. You could also mince the ginger and leave it in.

Stir in noodles & simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 4 minutes.

Stirring soup in a circular motion, add eggs in a slow, steady stream.

Simmer, undisturbed, until strands of egg are cooked, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat & stir in scallions (to taste) & sesame oil.

Season with salt.

Mom's Ham & Bean Soup

2009-04-20T14:59:00.001-07:00

There are few things I love more than being in the kitchen with my mom. I try so hard to absorb as much information as possible so I can have my recipes turn out like hers. They never do. The beauty of this recipe is it's simplicity. She doesn't overwhelm it with all kinds of seasonings and extras (a bad habit of mine). So the lesson is, keep it simple and you'll be able to bring out the best flavors of your main ingredient. Simple. Lovely. Again, there aren't amounts on some of the ingredients because you should add an amount that you like. Make it your own!

1 leftover ham bone (ours is from Easter. Apparently ham keeps longer than regular meat because it's been cured. Makes sense but I didn't know that. Did you?)
one 1lb bag of dried navy beans
celery, chopped fine
onion, chopped fine
carrots, chopped fine
bay leaves
cornbread (to go on the side with your cucumber & vinegar salad) - these are my moms direct instructions. If you're making ham & bean soup, you clearly will be making cornbread to go with the cucumber & vinegar salad.

Rinse the beans & cover with water in the pan.

Put them on the stove, bring to a boil and skim off the froth. (or you could soak them overnight).

Reduce heat & add the ham.

Let them cook until the beans get soft (at least an hour).

Add chopped celery, carrots, onion, bay leaves & maybe some celery leaves for added flavor.

Simmer until the beans are completely tender and your family can't stay away from the pot anymore. Also, as my mom suggests, consider serving with cornbread, and a salad of cucumbers and vinegar. I love my mom :-)

Coconut Curry Chicken

2009-04-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Stolen from Rachel Ray...

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp curry powder
one 13.5oz can coconut milk
2 tsp five-spice powder (you can make this yourself)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, stir in the curry powder & cook 1 minute. Then add the coconut milk & cook until reduced by one half (about 7 minutes).

Toss together the chicken, five-spice powder, salt & pepper until well mixed.

In a large heavy skillet (I used a wok), heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until very hot. Add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked through - about 6 minutes.

Stir in the coconut curry sauce

Serve over rice.

Quick Homemade Brownies

2009-04-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

You do not need a mix. Making brownies from scratch takes practically the same amount of time. Give this a try, it's a can't-miss:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix oil & sugar until well blended.

Add eggs & vanilla, stir until just blended.

Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Stir dry ingredients in with the oil & sugar.

Pour into greased 9x9 square pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until sides just start to pull away from the pan.

Cool completely before cutting (or you'll have a mess on your hands)!

Corn Chowder

2009-04-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Perfect for a rainy day:

4 tbsp butter
1 white onion, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 large potato, chopped
4 cups corn kernels, fresh cooked or frozen
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup cream or half & half
6 more tbsp butter (optional)

Saute onions in butter until they are tender & translucent. Add the corn, potato, chicken broth & herbs. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Puree soup in blender, return to pot. To make it a little thicker, puree half or just skip this step entirely.

Before serving add the cream and additional butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

2009-04-13T19:14:00.001-07:00

The difference between vanilla ice cream and french vanilla ice cream? Eggs. Which means french vanilla is a bit more custardy. Very rich and lovely. Try both. Definitely try both.

2 whole vanilla beans
2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups very cold heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a paring knife & scrape out the seeds.

Put the scrapings & pods in a medium saucepan with milk.

Scald the mixture, cover & remove from heat. Let steep for 30 minutes if you can wait that long. I cannot.

Combine egg yolks & sugar in a separate bowl & whisk until thick.

Return milk to the stove & bring to a simmer.

Using a measuring cup or ladle, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until blended. Keep adding milk until all has been added.

Pour all back into the saucepan & cook on low heat, stirring constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 3-5min). The custard should retain a line drawn on the back of the spoon with your finger.

Fill a large bowl with ice & water. Remove pan from heat & immediately stir in chilled cream to stop custard from cooking.

Pour througha sieve into a medium bowl and set in the ice bath stirring occasionally until cooled. Discard strained seeds & pods (tip: get more use out of your pods by putting them in your sugar container amd there you have vanilla sugar to bake with).

Stir vanilla extract into cooled custard. Cover bowl, then transfer to fridge until chilled (30 minutes to overnight).

Run it through the ice cream maker for 20 minutes and then freeze to make a harder ice cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream

2009-04-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! You really need to buy an ice cream maker because this is good!

1 pint fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups light cream
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Puree strawberries & put them in the fridge to chill.

Place all ingredients in food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth.

Pop it into the ice cream maker for about 20 minutes.

Freeze to solidify the final product, or enjoy it soft.

Clove Mustard Glaze (for your Easter ham)

2009-04-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

This turns out differently every time I make it, so be prepared to add a little here and there to get a flavor you like. It's strong stuff so you may want to serve it on the side so guests can just drizzle it over their holiday ham.

3oz mustard seeds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp tumeric or curry powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cloves

Put dry ingredients in blender or processor and add wine. At this point I usually put it on to boil very quickly and add a bit of thickener (both flour and cornstarch have worked fine).

Serve :-)

Irish Soda Bread

2009-04-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

This came out more or less like a giant biscuit. You be the judge.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2.5 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 beaten egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
other half of the beaten egg

In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda & salt.

Add butter. Combine buttermilk (you made need a little more) with the first 1/2 egg and add to flour til just moistened.

On a lightly floured surface, knead gently for 12 strokes.

On a greased baking sheet, shape dough into a 3-inch loaf (mine was more of a sticky blob).

Cut a 2 inch cross, 1/4 inch deep on the top

Brush with the other half of the beaten egg

Bake for 35min at 375

**try adding raisins, currants or dried cranberries**

Beka's Cream of Crab Soup

2009-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

I made this trying to re-create this amazing crab soup I had at a restaurant that is no longer in business. I did lots of research and here's my version.it's very heavy and very thick so it can be a dip as well. If you want it thinner, just leave out the flour.

1/2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced celery

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp celery salt

couple twists of the pepper mill

3 tbsp butter

1 pint half & half

1/4 cup dry sherry

fresh grated nutmeg (to taste)

pinch of ground cloves

1 bay leaf

Cook onion & celery in the butter until onion is transparent & tender.

Blend in flour (if using) & seasonings and saute over medium to medium-hi heat.

Add half & half and chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Stir in crabmeat & lower the heat so it stops boiling (low to med-low).

Stir in sherry.

Leave on low heat & taste to make changes till it's a flavor you want. I ended up adding more nutmeg.

Roast Yourself Some Garlic

2009-03-16T01:08:00.000-07:00

Roasted garlic goes great in so many pasta recipes and is awesome just spread on a piece of crusty bread. Maybe mash it in with some potatoes? The sky is the limit. It smells wonderful too (if you like the smell of garlic as much as I). Here's all there is to it:

1 full head of garlic
olive oil
aluminum foil (thorough, aren't I?)

Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic head and remove any extra skin (still leave some on, though).

Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic.

Wrap garlic in a bit of foil and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Pie

2009-03-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Chocolate overload in 3...2...1...

1 9-inch pie shell (used Pillsbury)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat eggs in in a large bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar & brown sugar.

Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips & nuts.

Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out relatively clean.

James' Baked Yuca

2009-03-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Yuca is the root of the cassava plant and starts out looking like the above. It's a tuber (just like the sweet potato) and has a really addictively good flavor when done right. It's really popular with our friends in South America, Africa, Central America and the Carribbean. And man, do they know what they're talking about. James made this for us last night and we went crazy for it.

1 yuca root
non-stick cooking spray

Peel the yuca with any regular vegetable peeler.

Slice the peeled yuca into 1/2-inch discs.

Put the yuca slices in already boiling water and par boil them for exactly 5 minutes. Then strain and let them cool completely.

When the yuca has cooled enough that you can pick it up and hold it in your hand, stack them in a glass pyrex type baking dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and you should have lovely lovely baked yuca. Very similar to the potato but much more flavorful.

Mango Salsa

2009-03-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Made this tonight to go with some lovely jerk chicken. I think the lime is what really gives it it's punch. You could vary this by adding red onion instead of green, or throwing in lots of avocado, pineapple or papaya, but it's great just like this, too!

1 mango, peeled, seeded & chopped
1 red bell pepper (I used a bit of red, a bit of yellow and a bit of orange)
1/4 cup green onion, sliced thin (I think it may have been better with a little less)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice, with pulp (dig the pulp out with a fork or just use your hands)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (other vinegars would do as well)
1/2 tsp lime zest
salt & pepper to taste

Mix it all up and you've got salsa. :)

Leftovers Frittata

2009-03-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

Made this this morning with leftover bits from the fridge....

6 eggs, beaten

1-2 oz grated cheese (I used the gouda I had leftover from Jossie's birthday canapes)

fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp butter

1/2 - 1 cup chopped leftovers. I used tomato, ham & onion

Chopped fresh herbs (I used wilted arugula from the fridge. Yes I know it's not an herb. Whatever. I also used a bit of sage and parsley. Happy now?)

Preheat oven to broil.

Blend eggs with a fork, adding cheese (parmesan, cheddar, etc.), salt & pepper.

Heat 12-inch non-stick oven-safe saute pan over medium heat (lot of hyphens, there...).

Add butter to pan & melt.

Add veggies & meat to pan & saute for 2-3 minutes.

Pour egg mixture into pan & stir with rubber spatula.

Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the egg mimsture has set up on the bottom and begins to set on top.

Sprinkle with herbs & put the pan in the oven to broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned & fluffy.

Remove from pan & cut inot servings.

Suggestions: try drizzling it with truffle oil/salt, sprinkle more grated cheese on the top, mix other herbs in there as well as leftover meat, peppers, corn, etc.

Mustard Spice Glazed Ham

2009-03-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not roasting a ham or anything over here. Just have a few yummy slices of ham steak and wanted to spice things up a bit. I researched a few recipes for homemade mustard, and then made this mustard spice glaze for the ham. It was sweet, spicy and really really good!

3oz mustard seeds (I used black but others would do fine, I think)
pinch of mustard powder
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp tumeric (or any bright yellow curry blend)
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cloves

Put mustard seeds, powder, brown sugar, salt, tumeric & black pepper in mixer or blender and blend. Then add wine. Mixture will be watery.

Move to saucepan, add flour (to thicken) and bring to a boil.

Serve as a dipping sauce or pour directly over ham.

Miso Soup

2009-03-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant (sushi, or maybe teppanyaki where they cook the food in front of you) you are almost always given miso soup at the start. It's simple, quick and really good for you. The traditional version contains seaweed. I'm not big on seaweed, so I left that out.

miso paste (you can get this at any asian grocer, or maybe even the ethnic section of a regular grocery store). Here's what it looks like:

1/2 block Tofu, cut into 1/2-inch squares. Tofu is often in the refrigerated part of your produce section with the salad dressings. You can get firm or soft or many variations in between usually, though, the soft kind is used for miso soup.
2 spring onions cut as thinly as possible.
water.

Put a pot of water on to boil and add the miso paste first. I didn't put an amount there because it's really up to you. I used about 4 heaping spoonfuls, kind of a lot. I liked it but you may want to start with 2 and taste it before you add more.

Chop up your tofu in small squares (try getting some of the liquid out of it first by rolling it up in paper towels for a bit) and add. Add scallion/green onion before you serve.

Prosciutto, Pear & Gouda Canapes

2009-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Saw something similar to this on either aol or msn's cooking page. Here's my version. Lovely little finger sandwiches. Made these for my BFF's 31st. They're just fancy enough for a special occasion, but delicious for any palette.

box of melba toasts (square kind)
2 pkgs prosciutto
2 pears (used bosc)
gouda
small arugula

Lay out the melbas, pile on the arugula, place a slice of gouda, then pear on each and wrap with the prosciutto.

Crab Salad Hors d'œuvres

2009-03-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

It's my best friends birthday and I wanted to make something delicious. I kind of just mixed things is as I went until it tasted right to me but I think I can give you most of the measurements.

1 container, crab meat. Doesn't have to be the lump jumbo kind because you're going to break it down anyway.
mayo, about 2 heaping spoonfuls
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
about 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
sea salt
phyllo pastry cups
spring onion

Mix crab, mayo, celery, pepper, sauces, lemon juice and maybe a bit of black pepper. At this point I put mine in a sieve for a bit to strain out extra liquid.

Put crab mixture into phyllo cups, top with thinly sliced spring onion, sea salt and maybe some lemon zest. I hope she likes them!

Herbed Bread Stuffing

2009-03-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Made this for Thanksgiving a few years ago. Very traditional and can even be made a day ahead. It also doubles easily.

10 cups (1-inch cubes) crusty country style bread
3 medium onions, chopped
3-4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 stick unsalted butter
2.5 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325.

Toast bread on a large shallow baking pan in the middle of the oven until just dry (25-30min).

Cook onions, celery and herbs in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until celery is softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir together bread, vegetables and broth. Salt & pepper to taste.

Cool completely - uncovered.

Chicken & Bell Pepper Stir-fry

2009-03-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

Made this up this morning based on what leftovers I had in the fridge. Turned out spectacular, probably because of the addition of Gia-Ninh's soy lime dipping sauce.

1 large chicken breast (or 2)

about 1 sandwich bag full of red, yellow and organce bell peppers

2 onions, sliced in slivers ('frenched')

Gia-ninh's soy lime dipping sauec - probably about 1/2 cup

1.5 tbsp cornstarch

canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Heat canola in a wok on high heat. Add onions. Once the onions are starting to turn translucent, add the garlic and chicken and saute until chicken is mostly cooked through.

Add peppers and soy lime sauce. Mix a bit of water or the soy lime sauce with the cornstarch and add to thicken.

Salt & pepper to taste. I served mine over basmati rice.

Kelly's Three Cheese Hot Artichoke Dip

2009-03-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Kelly made this for us when we went to visit her in Pittsburgh a couple of months ago and I begged her for the recipe. It's *that* good.

1 package cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can artichoke hearts (14oz), drained & chopped
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella (or 3 cheese italian mix)
dash of hot sauce
dash of worcesterchire sauce
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes
1/2 container frozen spinach, squeezed to remove excess water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand held electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the mayo until smooth. Add remaining ingredients & stir together until combined.

Transfer the dip to a pie plate or shallow gratin dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden & bubbling.

Serve hot with crostini, veggies & especially Ritz Crackers!

Truffled Lobster Risotto

2009-03-04T18:30:00.001-08:00

Another day, another risotto recipe. I didn't cook tonight as our dear friends Mark & Jen took us to dinner. But this recipe is the next one in my old notebook so here it is:

two 8-oz uncooked lobster tails
3.5 cups canned low salt chicken broth
3 tbsp truffle oil (white or black)
3/4 cup carrots, chopped and peeled
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup brandy
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 425.

Cook lobster in a large pot of simmering salted water until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to bowl of cold water to cool. Drain lobster. Remove meat from shells, reserve shells.

Cut lobster meat into 1/2 inch peices.

Break shells into large pieces. Place on baking sheet; bake 15 minutes.

Blend shells with 1 cup chicken broth in a blender until finely chopped. Strain through a very fine sieve. Reserve lobster broth; discard shells.

Bring 2.5 cups chicken broth to simmer; keep hot.

Heat 1 tbsp truffle oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.

Add carrots and shallots; saute 2 minutes.

Add rice; stir 2 minutes.

Add brandy; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until brandy is absorbed, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.

Add lobster broth and 3/4 cup chicken broth.

Simmer until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding remaining broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed and stirring often - about 20 minutes.

Add lobster and cream, stir until heated through.

Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tbsp truffle oil and chives. Season with salt and pepper.

Lemon Risotto

2009-03-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that making a risotto is one of my favorite things. And lemon is absolutely one of my favorite flavors. I love this recipe. You probably will too.

6 cups chicken broth (or more)
4 tbsp butter
2 onions, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese ( used more!)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
lemon juice & zest
salt & pepper
1 cup white wine

Bring chicken broth to a slow boil in a medium sized saucepan & set aside.

Melt 4 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add onion & saute until translucent. Add rice & stir to coat for 3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup hot broth. Stir while cooking until rice absorbs the liquid.

When the liquid is absorbed, it's time to add more broth. Keep adding it 1/2 cup at a time, stirring very frequently, until all is used. Never drown the rice. Risotto is done when the rice is still tender.

Stir in wine, parmesan, butter, lemon juice, zest & parsley. Season with salt pepper.

Cover & let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Ginger Scones w/ Lemon Curd

2009-03-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

I have never made a scone. I don't really think I even know what a curd is. But today, we're making both. The ginger scone recipe is from a user on recipezaar.com. The Lemon Curd is pure Alton Brown (with a couple of my changes). They turned out LOVELY! This has tea party written all over it. Fancypants, indeed!

Ginger Scones

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
1 egg
1/2 cup half & half (or cream)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.

Cut in butter with a mixer (recipe called for a pastry mixer but once again, WHAT is a pastry mixer?). My handheld mixer worked fine. You want to mix it until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of a pea. Be careful not to let the butter get too warm or it will make a paste & ruin your scones!

Chop ginger finely & stir in. Honestly, you could use more than 1/4 cup. They don't come on too strong at all.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the half & half.

Add to dry mix & stir just to moisten.

Gather the dough & knead it against the side of the bowl, collecting loose pieces into the dough.

Continue just until the dough comes together into a ball & cleans the sides of the bowl. Mine were quite sticky but still came out fine.

Transfer to a lightly floured board (I just used my cutting board) & pat or roll into a circle about 1-inch thick. cut into 8 wedges (pizza style cuts).

Place wedges on a parchment covered baking sheet at least 1-inch apart.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes until the tops are just golden.

Lemon Curd

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 lemons, both juice and zest
1 stick butter, cold

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1/2 inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, combine egg yolks & sugar in a medium sized metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add lemon juice to the egg mixture along with the zest. Whisk till smooth.

Once water reaches a near-boil, reduce heat to low & place bowl in top of saucepan (bowl should be large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water).

Whisk until thickened, approx. 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow & coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from head & stir in butter one slice at a time (maybe a tbsp at a time), allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.

Remove to a clean container & cover by laying plastic wrap directly to the surface of the curd.

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks (don't worry, it'll never last that long).

Now, clearly these two would be great on their own, but together - they knock it out of the park I think!

FYI: S: (n) curd (a coagulated liquid resembling milk curd)

Micro Green Salad w/ Fig Vinaigrette

2009-03-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make use of the Microgreens I had leftover from last weekend but I wanted to do something simple that wouldn't overwhelm their flavor. Micro greens are lovely but can be a little on the bitter side, so my goal was to create a salad with a sweet vinaigrette. I LOVE fig and it's natural sweetness. Hence, my salad:

fresh micro greens (or any salad, really)
red wine vinegar
olive oil
fig spread (any kind works, I used the kind that you typically find in the cheese section of the grocery store)

I'm not including any amounts here - it's up to you. Just add a bit of each and keep wisking until you get the flavor and consistency you like.

If the fig spread is thick, microwave it for about 30 seconds before adding the oil and vinegar.

Then just pour it over your greens and mix with your hands (that was the fun part).

This turned out absolutely lovely. The sweetness of the fig really complimented the bitterness of the greens. And micro greens always just look so gorgeous!

19 Bean Soup

2009-02-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

Also known as Pasta E Fagioli. Hearty and delicious:

2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups onions, chopped
1.5 cups carrots, chopped
1/5 cups celery, chopped
3 tbsp garlic (minced)
3 cups water
3 cans beef broth
1 tsp salt
1 can diced tomatoes
about 14oz various beans, barley, dried peas, veggies, etc. (I just use the 19-variety bag of dried beans from the grocery store)
bowtie pasta (your call how much you use)
grated parmesan cheese

In a large stock pan, heat oil and saute vegetables and garlic.

Add water, broth, beans, tomatoes and spices. Add any herbs now (I think I used parsley, oregano and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil.

Then just reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours or until the beans are tender, stirring frequently.

Add pasta, and simmer covered, until cooked through.

Salt & pepper to taste & top with grated parmesan cheese.

**I also added barley & 5oz of proscuitto**

Vegetarian Minestrone

2009-02-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Made this tonight for family potluck. Healthy, easy and inexpensive. Vegetarian (as long as you use water instead of stock) and actually vegan if you leave out the cheese.

1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups water (or chicken broth if you're not trying to keep it veg)
2 cups diced zucchini
1.5 cups cannellini beans (canned works fine)
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup of the smallest pasta you can find
1/2 cup frozen white corn
2 bay leaves
grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add chopped onion & saute for 4 minutes or until just lightly browned.

Add water(or stock), zucchini, carrots, beans, celery, basil, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, tomatoes, garlic & corn.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover & simmer on med-low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add macaroni, cover & cook 10 more minutes.

Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan. Look how great it turned out!

Seven-Spice Vanilla Chai

2009-02-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

This is so great because it makes my entire apartment smell lovely and spicy. It's an easy thing to throw together when someone calls at the last minute and says they're coming over or just for a nice lazy Sunday by the fire.

1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
5-7 cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp anise seed
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 black teabag (or 1 tsp black tea leaves)
2 cups water
cream, half & half, milk or condensed milk - to taste
I also add a splash of vanilla to mine. But it's up to you.

Combine spices & water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil & simmer three minutes. I usually let mine simmer much longer than that. I love the way it smells!

When you're ready to drink it, add the tea & steem for 3 minutes.

Strain into teapot or cups & stir in milk or cream.

Yes I actually took this picture!

Fennel Grapefruit Salad with Shaved Parmesan & Micro Greens

2009-02-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

I am on a real fennel kick lately. I know it goes well with grapefruit. That's all I know. But I made this salad tonight and it was a real hit with my best friend. But then, it's a best friends job to say they like your food. Well, let me know.

1 bulb fennel
2 grapefruits
micro greens (they have these at Trader Joes and most other places. Or just use arugula)
olive oil
red wine vinegar
raw sugar
fresh shaved parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper

There's no amounts on here - it's up to you. Basically shave the fennel (if you have a mandoline that will be perfect, otherwise just cut it as thin as possible). Then cut the grapefuit into slices (with the rind and white stuff gone).

Whisk the oil, vinegar and a teaspoon or so of the sugar in a bowl.

Place the fennel and grapefruit on the plate, micro greens in the middle. Sprinkle the parmesan on top. Drizzle viaigrette on top and grind pepper over the salad before serving.

Look, I actually took a picture for once:

Chicken Curry Lentil Soup

2009-02-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Ok I made this up on the fly last winter but it turned out great. I didn't put down any of the measurements but you don't need them. I'm serious - you don't! Just add the ingredients in the amounts that look good to you. It's a soup, so all you have to do is add more broth if there's too much seasoning, and boil it down to reduce it if there's not enough to it. Ok? Here we go:

1/2 lb chicken breast strips (or any chicken, meat or even tofu would work fine)
1-2 cups lentils
3-4 cans chicken broth
minced garlic
stewed tomatoes
vegetable flakes (you can get big bags of these at farmer's markets!)
curry powder
1 whole clove
dried parsley flakes

Bring broth to a boil & add lentils. Then just add everything else and taste as you go (except the raw chicken, don't taste that until it's cooked through!) haha

Squash Casserole

2009-02-19T17:49:00.001-08:00

I know it doesn't sound delicious, but it is. It's similar to cheesy potatoes but with less carbs. No worries, it's still got a good amount of fat.

4 medium yellow squash (chopped into small squares)
one large onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small container of sour cream (sorry, it's my mom's recipe and this is all she specified)
2 cups Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing
garlic powder
butter
salt

Cut up yellow squash & onion and pan boil, drain well.

In a bowl, mix equal portions of the cream of chicken and the sour cream (ok so there's the amount for the sour cream). Season with salt.

Spray 8x8 pan, top with extra stuffing, dot with butter and bake on 350 for 30 minutes to crisp top & heat through.

French Onion Soup

2009-02-18T15:58:00.001-08:00

It takes a lot of ingredients, but homemade french onion soup is kinda the bees knees. Don't believe me? Try this and get back to me. Last time I made this I was recovering from shoulder surgery, so you'll have to let me know if it's good or if I was just on painkillers.

10 sweet onions (like Vidalias), or a combination of sweet and red onion
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 cups white wine
10oz canned beef consomme
10oz canned chicken broth
10oz apple cider (unfiltered is the best)
Bouquet garni: fresh sprigs of thyme, bay leaf & parsley
1 loaf country style bread
kosher salt
ground black pepper
splash of cognac
1 cup fontina or gruyere cheese, grated

Trim the ends off each onion, then slice from end to end. Remove peel & finely slice into half moon shapes.

Set electric skillet to 300 and add butter. Once the butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all the onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweatted (shut up, I know that's not a word) down, for 15-20 minutes.

After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany & reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consomme, cider and herbs. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler. Cut bread into rounds large enough to fit the mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for ONE MINUTE.

Season soup with salt & pepper. Splash in the cognac. Ladle soup into crocks, leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese.

Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden (1-2 minutes).

Swedish Meatballs

2009-02-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

This is another recipe from my mother (which means some of the ingredients don't have specifications for amounts). But this is hard to mess up.

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water or milk
1 lb ground beef
2/3 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
2 tsp shortening
sour cream

Blend soup with water (or milk). Combine 1/4 cup soup mixture, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, parsley & salt; shape into balls about 1" in diameter.

Brown meatballs in shortening. Pour remaining soup over meatballs.

Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. OR you can bake them at 350 for 20 minutes. Whatever you do, just make sure you pour off some of that excess grease before serving. Over what? Massive egg noodles work for me.

Granola Bars

2009-02-17T15:20:00.001-08:00

Like granola bars? Hate corn syrup? I'm here for you. These are really really good - and I'm honestly not the trail mix type. They're great and you can change the fruit & nuts to whatever suits you. Great to make before a camping trip. No one will want to eat that crap in the prepackaged individual wrappers when they see you have this action.

8oz old-fashioned rolled oats (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 oz raw sunflower seeds (about 1/2 cup)
3oz sliced almonds (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 oz wheat germ (about 1 cup)
6oz honey (about 1/2 cup)
1 3/4 oz dark brown sugar (about 1/4 cup packed)
1oz unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 1/2 oz chopped dried fruit (I used a mix of gold raisins, blueberries & cranberries)

Butter a 9x9 glass baking dish & set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan.

Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla & salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

...so I stole the picture. Can you really say you're surprised?